When wireless sensors and detectors came on the market decades ago, the devices were known more for missing signals than capturing alarm activity. They were used in a “patch” type of approach, applied when hard-wired devices were impossible. After all, no one wanted to drill holes in five-foot-thick concrete. READ MORE
Deborah L. O'Mara
Freelance Writer
Deborah O'Mara is the president of DLO Communications in Park Ridge, Ill., specializing in low-voltage. She also is the former editor of Security + Life Safety Systems. She can be reached at 847.384.1916 or domara@earthlink.net.
Articles by Deborah L. O'Mara
December 2005
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Sensors and detectors have upped the ante with intelligent features and supervision, making them essential to an integrated and automated building environment. No longer relegated as single, stand-alone devices, sensors and detectors do much more than simply sound a local alarm or provide annunciation. READ MORE
November 2005
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'Just in time' used to be the battle cry in security product manufacturing and distribution. Now, it is more than just in time-it is all about arming the contractor with the information they need to boost sales and present the end-user with a product portfolio adeptly suited to the application. Distributors have seen the writing on the wall. READ MORE
November 2005
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Schools and research and development (R&D) facilities are multifaceted, multifunction organizations with the need for flexible and adaptable lighting for safety, security and working tasks. Start with a thorough site survey and analysis of the facility. READ MORE
October 2005
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Sending a fire alarm signal is not enough. State-of-the-art fire alarm and life safety technology now allows for a host of data, instructions, graphics and other functions that get people out of danger quickly. Systems can pinpoint specific areas in distress and notify officials through a variety of communication notification devices, including cellular phones, pagers, etc. READ MORE
October 2005
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It is not a new cabling and wiring installation technique, but it has certainly come of age. Zone cabling is a little like the old multiplexed circuits of the early high-end burglar alarm systems (think New York jewelry stores) with a much more modern twist. READ MORE
September 2005
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Chances are you have encountered a wiring mass—or mess—somewhere along the road when installing voice/data/video or information transport systems. Year after year of adding, changing and rewiring may have left the plenum with little room for additional wiring and cabling. READ MORE
September 2005
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For traditional burglar alarm installers dealing with intrusion detection and monitored systems, it came as no shock that voice over Internet protocol (VoIP) was not the end-all and cure-all it was originally purported to be. But that’s the reality of emergency communications in some instances. READ MORE
August 2005
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Access control is a logical product to integrate. Technology continues to advance, especially in networked solutions, smart cards and biometrics, offering new capabilities and more application possibilities than ever before. It is a logical product to expand and add at existing premises, such as a college that requires single-door control or a campuswide networked solution. READ MORE